Grilled Ratatouille

Grilled Ratatouille
2 large eggplants, halved lengthwise
2 large green zucchinis, halved lengthwise
3 red onions, halved
15 roma tomatoes, halved
2 green bell peppers, halved and seeded
2 red bell peppers, halved and seeded
1 bunch green onions

Drizzle all the vegetables lightly with oil, then place on a preheated grill. Char them until visible grill marks appear and the vegetables are tender, flipping them as necessary. Cool vegetables until they can be handled, then cut into a large dice. Toss all together and season with additional oil, kosher salt, and cracked black pepper. 

Grilled Swordfish with Grilled Ratatouille

• Honey coconut marinated swordfish, grilled
• Grilled ratatouille with eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, green peppers, red peppers, red onion, and green onion
• Garlic and herb roasted baby red potatoes
• Basil lime pesto
• Purple basil garnish

Chocolate Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Chocolate Chocolate Zucchini Cake
3 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated (white) sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini, packed
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line two 8x5 inch loaf pans.
In a large bowl, stir together the first six dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl whip the eggs and sugar together until light. Whisk in the oil and vanilla. Stir into the dry ingredients followed by the zucchini then chocolate chips.
Spread batter evenly in prepared pans. Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Try it, you'll love it, and won't even notice the zucchini!!

Zucchini Chocolate S'mores Cake

Here is a dessert special I made at the restaurant tonight. It is a moist, double chocolate zucchini cake with s'mores ice cream and chocolate sauce. Perfect for sharing!

When my brothers and I were little, my mom used to bake a chocolate zucchini cake quite often around this time of year when zucchinis were in abundance. But because we were more picky of eaters at the time, especially when it came to vegetables, she used to tell us it was 'green coconut' so we would eat it and not ask questions. I realize now that green coconut is not really a thing and that zucchini is delicious, especially when baked into a chocolate cake.

Catch Of The Day

Here is my catch of the day dish from the restaurant tonight.
Butter poached trout, hasselback potatoes, balsamic-glazed dried tomato, sauteed yellow and green zucchini, wild chanterelles, lemon dill pesto, and sprouts. 
I was very proud of myself for butchering, skinning, and filleting the five whole fresh local trout we got in for the dish. 
The dish sold very well and got really good feedback. I actually managed to execute it well during service time to only require two burners and about seven minutes from fire to plating.

On The Fly Pork Dinner

Seared pork tenderloin, Creamy potato gratin, Roasted broccoli and zucchini, Crispy onions, Cilantro walnut pesto, Mushroom maple sauce.

All prepared within an hour using a small, limited kitchen and some random ingredients bought at the store plus a small pantry supply. It isn't complicated or time consuming to make some really tasty, balanced, meals at home. I will be sharing the individual components of this dish in the coming week.

Exploring The City

Today I did a big walking tour of the downtown city area. I got to see lots of sights - historical structures, buildings of interest, nature sights, shops, restaurants, businesses, cultural hubs, and so much more!

Mountains still in view

Big city hotel

View out the sky train window

home cooked supper

I also cooked dinner at the house tonight which was fun to use a kitchen I wasn't familiar with and had limited equipment/pantry. I kind of made the meal up on the fly using a few key ingredients and came up with this...
Seared pork tenderloin, Creamy potato gratin, Roasted broccoli and zucchini, Crispy onions, Cilantro walnut pesto, Mushroom maple sauce.

Care Package

After being away from home for a few weeks now, I was delighted to hear that a family friend from back home was heading this way, and as willing to deliver me a care package from my parents. Although I am certainly enjoying a lot of great food here, there isn't anything quite like your mother's own home baking - the comforting treats you grew up with! This can sometimes be a challenge to send, depending on how far away you are, and what means of sending the package are available to you. Care packages must include treats suitable for travelling - think cookies and breads, not cakes or anything with perishable ingredients (no turkey dinners). Luckily, in this case, we had same day personal delivery, so my treats stayed fresh and undamaged. My mother sent me a batch of soft date cookies, as well as a slab of her infamous double chocolate zucchini loaf, which she always makes near the end of summer when zucchinis are ripe, but which I did not get a chance to have before I left. It is moist and delicious and makes a good snack, dessert, or possibly a breakfast for me! My mother also sent me some new recipes she clipped out of our local newspaper. Thanks again Mom! :) 

Potato Zucchini Hash

Potato Zucchini Hash
1 medium potato
1/2 small white onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
4 large cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 large egg
seasoning as desired

Pierce the potato all over with a fork, place in a little water, cover and microwave for 2-3 minutes until slightly softened. Slice into wedges.
Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms and sauté for five minutes. Add the zucchini and potato and sauté a few more minutes until soft. Push the vegetables to the side of the pan and crack and egg in the middle. Fry until cooked, then season as desired.

This is a really quick and easy one dish meal that incorporated a good dose of vegetables, a starch, and some protein with the egg. Sprinkle some cheese over top to incorporate some dairy as well. 

Vegetable Cheese Stuffed Manicotti

This is a very tasty vegetarian pasta dish with a bit more elegance. It requires a few extra steps of preparation, much like making a lasagna. However, the effort is totally worth it. To shave off some preparation time, use a can or bottle of sauce and use a food processor to cut up the vegetables. This could also be prepared in advance and baked shortly before serving. Leftovers are excellent reheated. The amounts given for vegetables are only relative and may be varied - just not the vegetables cook down a lot and you barely even notice them in the cheesy filling! This should make enough filling for fourteen manicotti shells, but we have discovered that extra filling is delicious if baked in a ramekin. 

Vegetable Cheese Stuffed Manicotti
1 small can tomato sauce
14 manicotti shells, cooked and drained
1 teaspoon oil
1 medium shredded carrot (1/2 cup)
1/2 shredded zucchini (1/2 cup) 
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (one container)
1/2 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)
2 cups cottage or ricotta cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Spoon a small amount of sauce into the bottom of a rectangular baking pan.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook the vegetables until tender-crisp. Stir in cottage cheese. Fill each manicotti shell with this mixture, then place in the baking dish. Spoon sauce over top and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350◦F for about 40 minutes until hot.  

Grilled Zucchini

Finally it is barbecue season! Typically we tend to stick to the same types of foods when we barbecue - our standard salmon, burgers, chicken, steak - mostly meat. But once in a while we do try something a little different. This time it was grilled zucchini. Unless you have one of those special vegetable grilling baskets, vegetables must be large or cut into large pieces, or strung onto kabob sticks in order to avoid falling through the grates of the grill. That definitely happened with a few of our zucchini pieces here. The next time we tried this we did cut them a bit thicker. If cooked properly and rotated they will cook despite being very thick, and are tender, juicy and flavorful. They do have a little more crunch then boiled zucchini, but that's fine with me. All these need is a brushing of olive oil and perhaps a dash of cracked black pepper. A very quick accompaniment to any meal! 

Zucchini Potato Patties

Zucchini Potato Patties
2 medium zucchini, shredded
1 small carrot, shredded
1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper and salt to taste
1/2 cup mashed potato
1/4 cup pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
oil for frying

Place the zucchini and carrot in a colander and sprinkle with the salt. Allow to drain for at least 30 minutes.
Squeeze all the excess water from the vegetables and pat dry. Add remaining ingredients and blend well. Form into patties with your hands, I made about ten patties, but it depends on size. The patties will hold together better if refrigerated at this point for at least 30 minutes. Or prepare the patties ahead and refrigerate overnight.
Heat a little oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry the patties, about 5-6 minutes per side, until lightly browned. 

If you want crispy patties, make them thin, and possibly cook them in batches or use two frying pans. I made my patties thicker, and ended up baking them for a bit after frying. This works well, or works to keep them warm, just be sure to grease or line the tray with parchment paper.

This is a really quick and quite tasty side dish to go with supper, that doesn't require many ingredients or prep work. They can also be prepared ahead, or cooked and reheated, or eaten cold. It makes good use of fresh zucchini. The zucchini flavor is quite prominent. You could vary this recipe by adding minced onion or garlic, or using different spices. 

Zucchini Mini Chip Muffins

I found a cup of leftover zucchini in the fridge - already washed, grated, and ready to go. My mother had recently made more of her famous chocolate zucchini loaves, and there was a little bit of zucchini leftover, but not enough for another batch of loaves. I did a quick search online and found this muffin recipe, which looked good. It turned out good too - nice and moist with a nice hint of cinnamon, a good dose of chocolate, and a little added texture from the oats and coconut.

Zucchini Mini Chip Muffins
1 1/4 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt or buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup grated zucchini
2/3 cup oats
2/3 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line muffin cups with paper liners.
In a large bowl, mix the first seven dry ingredients. Make a well in the center. 
Add the next four dry ingredients, mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients.
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 12-15 muffins.

"Zucchini Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins.” http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/zucchini-chocolate-chip-mini-muffins/9a76a5e6-061c-4be7-80de-55215a792869 .Betty Crocker, n.d. Tuesday, September 18, 2012. 

Zucchini Pie

This zucchini pie is not the typical type of a pie you would think of. It is more like a quiche with no crust, but less eggy. It can also be baked in either a pie pan or a square pan. It is good warm, cooled, or cold, and stores well in the refrigerator. It cuts quite nicely into small squares or large wedges, and can easily be doubled for large crowds. It is quick, easy, and very tasty. A good way to use zucchini during zucchini season when you get tired of it plain. I used yellow zucchini because that's what I had, but green will add more color. The yellow looks like cheese, speaking of which, you could always add some grated mozzarella cheese to the batter too, it would be delicious. You can use whatever spices you would like, and serve this pie with whatever you wish! My grandmother shared this recipe with me, so I am not sure where it originally came from. I used a decorative quiche pan to bake mine, any type of pan will work really, just adjust cooking time accordingly.

Zucchini Pie
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon oil (or melted butter)
4 large eggs
1/2 cup oil
3 cups fresh zucchini, grated or finely chopped
1 cup diced onion (1 medium)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon marjoram 

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease a 9-inch pie plate or an 8x8 inch square baking pan.
In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the oil.
In a separate large bowl, beat the eggs and the oil. Add the zucchini and onion. Add the flour mixture along with the remaining ingredients. Pour into prepared pan. Save some of the Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top, or use extra. It turns golden and crisp and adds some more flavor and texture.  Bake for 40-50 minutes until set.

Chocolate Zucchini Loaf

These are Chocolate Chocolate Chip Zucchini Loaves my mother makes every year during zucchini season. My mother also took this picture, and I have to admire her photography skills and excellent taste in prop styling. Thanks Mom! In August, when the zucchinis are ready to harvest, we always like to have plenty of small ones, like the one pictured here, to boil and eat fresh or to use in stir-frys and other dishes. We also like to have a few bigger zucchinis, the ones that are left to grow a little too long. These big zucchinis don't taste very good fresh, but they are excellent once cut-up, shredded, and used in baked goods. You could always use small zucchinis for baking too, but then you need to shred a lot more zucchini, and they are good for eating fresh, so why not enjoy them like that. However, the giant zucchinis aren't even good for baking. They really have a poor flavor, and they are only good for hollowing out, stuffing with other delicious ingredients, and baking for a long time until tender. 
The large quantity of chocolate in these loaves helps to mask the zucchini quite well. These loaves are double chocolate - cocoa in the batter, along with plenty of chocolate chips. However, small threads of green do poke through all of the chocolate. When my brothers and I were younger, my mother used to tell us that this was simply green coconut. The shape and size did look like coconut, and at the time we didn't know that there isn't really a such thing as green coconut unless it is dyed. But this worked in convincing us to try it, and we have loved it since. We certainly never suspected that it was actually a vegetable. The secret slipped out when we heard our mother discussing the recipe with a friend. By that point though, we had already eaten so much of the loaf and loved it that we didn't care. That made it a lot easier for my mother to make the loaves, as now she could make them when we were around and not have to hide the fact that she was using zucchini. A relative also shared a recipe for zucchini crisp with me. It is just like apple crisp, with an oatmeal and brown sugar topping, except the base is made with cubed zucchini instead of apple. She says no one can tell that it's actually a vegetable crisp and it is delicious. She also sent a recipe for candied zucchini, which I haven't yet tried but it sure sounds interesting.